Akihiro Miwa
Birthday: 1935-05-15 Place of Birth: Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
Synopsis
Akihiro Maruyama (born May 15, 1935), better known by his stage name Akihiro Miwa, is a Japanese singer, actor, author and drag queen. As an actor he is known for voicing characters in Hayao Miyazaki films Princess Mononoke (1997) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Acting
Miwa: A Japanese Icon
A legendary entertainer and a pioneer of gay activism, Miwa was born Akihiro Maruyama. As a young singer, Miwa popularized androgyny as a fashion statement, fusing the masculine and the feminine into a signal of a new generation of aesthetics. This evolved into performing as a woman and living off-stage as a man. With glitter, wit, evening gowns, and enchanting storytelling, Miwa looks back over a 50-year career and a fascinating life in music, film, and television.
Takeshis'
Beat Takeshi lives the busy and sometimes surreal life of a showbiz celebrity. One day he meets his blond lookalike named Kitano, a shy convenience store cashier, who, still an unknown actor, is waiting for his big break. After their paths cross, Kitano seems to begin hallucinating about becoming Beat.
Howl's Moving Castle
Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.
The Japanese Belly Button
Helen and her associates stage a confession play in order to remedy stuttering, but things go amiss.
Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets
Conditions have been better for the nameless protagonist: his grandmother is a shoplifter and his war criminal father and sister have an unhealthy, intimate relationship with the family rabbit.
Black Rose Mansion
A feverishly perverse 1969 film noir oddity starring female impersonator Akihiro Maruyama. When wealthy Kyohei hires transvestite singer "Black Rose" to perform in his exclusive men's club, he gets more than he bargains for when she attracts scores of homicidal past lovers. The film takes a bizarre twist when Kyohei's son falls victim to the femme fatale's unique charm.
Black Lizard
A detective tries to outwit a jewel thief who has kidnapped the daughter of a jeweler to get to an exquisite diamond.
